Attractions

The stately and lively Plaza de Armas, lined by arcades and carved wooden balconies, and framed by the Andes, is the focal point of Cusco. After Machu Picchu, it is one of the most familiar sights in Peru. You will cross it, relax on the benches in its center, and pass under the porticoes that line the square with shops, restaurants, travel agencies, and bars innumerable times during your stay in Cusco. The plaza -- which was twice its present size in Inca days -- has two of Cusco's foremost churches and the remains of original Inca walls on the northwest side of the square, thought to be the foundation of the Inca Pachacútec's palace.

Many principal sights within the historic quarter of Cusco and beyond the city are included in the boleto turístico , but a few very worthwhile places of interest, such as the Templo del Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun) and Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP), are not included.

Cusco's Boleto Turístico

Cusco's municipal tourism (Calle Mantas 117-A) office sells a tourist pass, or boleto turístico, that is virtually essential for visiting the city and surrounding areas. It is your admission to 16 of the most important places of interest in and around Cusco, including some of the major draws in the Sacred Valley. Though it has doubled in price in the last few years, the boleto is still a good value, and you cannot get into some churches and museums without it. The full ticket costs S/70 ($20) for adults and S/35 ($10) for students with ID and children, is valid for 10 days, and is available at the tourism office at Mantas 117-A (tel. 084/263-176), open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6:30pm and Saturday from 8am to 2pm.

In addition to the main Tourist Office, the boleto can be purchased at: OFEC, Av. El Sol 103, office 106 (Galerías Turísticas; tel. 084/227-037), from 8am-6pm Monday through Saturday, and Casa Garcilaso, at the corner of Garcilaso y Heladeros s/n (tel. 084/226-919).

The boleto allows admission to the following sights: Convento y Museo de Santa Catalina, Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo, Museo Histórico Regional, Museo de Sitio Qoricancha, Museo de Arte Popular, Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo de Danzas Folklóricas, Monumento Pachacuteq, Museo Palacio Municipal, and the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuamán, Q'enko, Pukapukara, Tambomachay, Pikillacta, and Tipón, and the Valle Sagrado attractions of Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero.

La Catedral, the imposing cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, was formerly included in the boleto but now you must pay a separate admission fee. Other principal attractions not covered by the boleto include the Templo del Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun), Museo Inca, and Iglesia de San Blas.

Not all of these attractions are indispensable, and you probably won't end up checking off absolutely everything on your color photo-coded boleto, but it remains the best admission ticket in Cusco. (You can also buy a partial ticket for S/40, or $11, but it only covers attractions in the city.) Make sure you carry the ticket with you when you're planning to make visits (especially on daytrips outside the city), as guards will demand to see it so that they can punch a hole alongside the corresponding picture. Students must also carry their International Student Identification Card (ISIC), as guards often demand to see that ID to prove that they didn't fraudulently obtain a student boleto and thus cheat the city out of 10 bucks.

The Cusco School of Art

The colonial-era Escuela Cusqueña, or Cusco School of Art, that originated in the ancient Inca capital was a synthesis of traditional Spanish painting with local, mestizo elements -- not surprising, perhaps, because its practitioners were themselves of mixed blood. Popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, the style spread from Cusco as far as Ecuador and Argentina. The most famous members of the school were Diego Quispe Tito, Juan Espinosa de los Monteros, and Antonio Sinchi Roca, even though the authors of a large majority of works associated with the school are anonymous. Most paintings were devotional in nature, with richly decorative surfaces. Artists incorporated recognizable Andean elements into their oil paintings, such as local flora and fauna, customs, and traditions -- one depiction of the Last Supper has the apostles feasting on guinea pig and drinking chicha -- and representations of Jesus looking downward, like the Indians who were forbidden to look Spaniards in the eye. Original Escuela Cusqueña works are found in La Catedral, the Convent of Santa Catalina, the Museum of Religious Art, and a handful of other churches in Cusco. Reproductions of original paintings, ranging from excellent in quality to laughable, are available across Cusco, particularly in the galleries and shops of the San Blas district.

Cusco Festivals

Cusco explodes with joyous celebration of both its Amerindian roots and Christian influences during festivals, which are crowded but splendid times to be in the city if you can find accommodations. It's worth planning your trip around one of the following fiestas, if possible.

Inti Raymi, the fiesta of the winter solstice (June 24, but lasting for days before and afterward), is certainly the star attraction. It's an eruption of Inca folk dances, exuberant costumes, and grand pageants and parades, including a massive one that takes over the stately Sacsayhuamán ruins overlooking the city. Inti Raymi is one of the finest expressions of local popular culture on the continent, a faithful re-enactment of the traditional Inca Festival of the Sun. It culminates in high priests sacrificing two llamas, one black and one white, to predict the fortunes of the coming year. Cusco's Carnaval week, with lots of music, dance, and processions of its own, is part of the buildup for Inti Raymi.

Semana Santa, or Easter week (late Mar or Apr), is an exciting traditional expression of religious faith, with stately processions through the streets of Cusco, including a great procession led by El Señor de los Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes) on Easter Monday. On Good Friday, booths selling traditional Easter dishes are set up on the streets.

In early May, the Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of the Crosses), a celebration popular throughout the highlands, is marked by communities decorating large crosses that are then delivered to churches. Crucifix vigils are held on all hilltops that are crowned by crosses. Festivities, as always accompanied by lively dancing, give thanks for bountiful harvests. Early June's Corpus Christi festival is another momentous occasion, with colorful religious parades featuring 15 effigies of saints through the city and events at the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral (where the effigies are displayed for a week).

On December 24, Cusco celebrates the Santuranticuy Festival, one of the largest arts-and-crafts fairs in Peru. Hundreds of artisans lay out blankets in the Plaza de Armas and sell carved Nativity figures and saints' images, in addition to ceramics and retablos (altars). The tradition was begun by the Bethlehemite Order and Franciscan Friars.

A hugely popular Andean festival that attracts droves from Cusco and the entire region is the Virgen del Carmen, celebrated principally in Paucartambo and with only a slightly lesser degree of exuberance in Pisac and smaller highland villages.

South & East of the Plaza de Armas

Barrio de San Blas -- Cusco's most atmospheric and picturesque neighborhood, San Blas, a short but increasingly steep walk from the Plaza de Armas, is lined with artists' studios and artisans' workshops, and stuffed with tourist haunts -- many of the best bars and restaurants and a surfeit of hostels. It's a great area to wander around -- many streets are pedestrian-only -- though you should exercise caution with your belongings, especially at night. The neighborhood also affords some of the most spectacular panoramic vistas in the city. In the small plaza at the top and to the right of Cuesta San Blas is the little white Iglesia de San Blas, said to be the oldest parish church in Cusco (admission apart from boleto turístico; S/6, or $1.70). Although it's a simple adobe structure, it contains a marvelously carved churrigueresque cedar pulpit. Some have gone as far as proclaiming it the finest example of woodcarving in the world; carved from a single tree trunk, it is certainly great. The pulpit comes with an odd story, and it's difficult to determine whether it's fact or folklore: It is said that the carpenter who created it was rewarded by having his skull placed within his masterwork (at the top, beneath the feet of St. Paul) upon his death. Also worth a look is the baroque gold-leaf main altar.